“I’m confident enough to tell you—the fight is done. It’s agreed all the way down to the date,” declared Chael Sonnen, turning up the heat on Jon Jones’ long-awaited clash with his nemesis, Tom Aspinall. The interim heavyweight champion has now held his belt for over 500 days, and the time for their battle has arrived. Yet with ‘Bones’ continuing to dodge the showdown, the heavyweight division remains trapped in limbo. Amid the chaos, Jones has secured a controversial feat in the division—one that has sparked outrage among fans.

Home of Fight just revealed an incredible feat that Jon Jones has achieved, and it might have stirred the fans in just the right way. According to the MMA handle, Jon Jones is now the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in the world. ‘Bones’ already had the record of the longest reigning light-heavyweight champion with a dominant 1501-day run, and now he has the same record in the heavyweight division as well.  Surpassing Stipe Miocic to become the longest-reigning heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has remained the heavyweight champion for 785 days and counting.

But, what is its worth when you have not yet defended the title against the original top contender? Jon Jones defeated Ciryl Gane back at UFC 285 in March 2023 in the very first round by way of Guillotine Choke to stake a claim to the heavyweight belt, and since then, he has been holding it. He defended his belt against former two-time heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, but it’s important to note that the firefighter had been completely inactive for three years before embracing the Octagon against Jones.

The record for the longest-reigning heavyweight champion would have meant something had he fought Tom Aspinall, but Jones seems determined to avoid him. The Briton has held the interim belt for years now, and the UFC should have booked the fight—but time and time again, all we get is disappointment. Uncle Chael gave us some good news that the UFC CEO is working day and night to make that fight, but in reality, Jones has complete control of the scenario.

According to Sonnen, Aspinall might have to defend his title once again but this time against the Frenchman Ciryl Gane this year.“Are you ready for the interim championship? According to a remarkably good source, Jon Jones is going to be afforded the ability to wait 180 days, which is equivalent to 6 months, which is what he asked for. Tom Aspinall is going to fight with Ciryl Gane. And now, we’re going to defend an interim champion with the existence of an undisputed champion, which is against the laws of logic.”

In a perfect world, Jon Jones should have fought Tom Aspinall months ago—but this is the UFC, where the rules seemingly depend on your star power. As Home of Fight flaunts Jon Jones’ record, the fans are irked. What did the fans say? Let us have a look at it.

Jon Jones’ unique heavyweight record gets called out by fans

Cain Velasquez held the UFC heavyweight title twice during his career. His first reign lasted 385 days, beginning with a knockout victory over Brock Lesnar. However, he was later defeated by Junior dos Santos, ending his title run. His second title reign was arguably longer, with 896 days. At this, a fan wrote, “Cain’s 2nd reign was longer.” However, many don’t consider it because his title reign was marred by injuries, which forced him to stay inactive for two years.

Furthermore, another fan gave a reality check to Jon Jones, “Making stalling and ducking sound like an achievement?” There was a time Jon Jones was considered the GOAT of the game. Being the youngest champion to ever hold the UFC title at 23, ‘Bones’ had a mystical aura, but all of it faded when he ducked Aspinall for over a year.“Love how Jon lost GOAT status by ducking Aspinall Tom is the people’s champ.”

Moreover, another social media user came forward to emphasize that unless Jones defends his title against Aspinall, his record means nothing: “No one cares about days, all that matters is number of times he defended.”

Another fan has a question for the UFC CEO, Dana White, “Should a fighter be stripped of his title if he doesn’t defend for a certain amount of time? And what should that time frame be?” Last but not the least, a social media user expressed his thoughts on Stipe Miocic,“Stipe is 1000x the better heavyweight.”

As the heavyweight division remains in limbo, UFC CEO Dana White faces a dilemma in making the most important fight happen in the world’s premier MMA organization. What are your thoughts on this situation? Share your opinion in the comments below.